1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a handle for holding one or more animal leashes, and, more particularly to such a handle including a provision for the storage of items, such as plastic bags for waste disposal, and further including a swivel arrangement between a graspable portion of the handle and an elongated member to which the leashes are attached.
2. Summary of the Background Information
Pet owners face an increasing need to remove and properly dispose solid waste left by their animals, particularly, but not exclusively, dogs, during walks. In urban and suburban areas, ordinances often require such removal and disposal. Furthermore, to an increasing extent, proper disposal of such waste requires that the waste must be placed in sealed containers, such as plastic bags with closures, before being placed in a trash receptacle, to remain segregated from other garbage or trash during its preparation for recycling.
A number of devices have been developed to assist pet owners in the removal of solid waste material left by their animals, and many of such devices are described in the patent literature. Such devices include scoops and tongs of various types and various bag containers for holding bags to be used in the removal and disposal process. Such bag containers may be incorporated in an assembly including a pet leash. For example, a rotatably mounted spool including a number of plastic bags releasably attached to one another in an end-to-end configuration is mounted within or below a handle structure including a graspable portion and means for attaching a leash. Such a spool may be covered by an end cap having an aperture through which the bags can be individually pulled to be detached from the remaining bags, or the rigid housing holding the spool may be provided with a slot allowing the removal of individual bags. Alternately, a bag container may be formed in a curved shape to fit below a rounded container holding the spiral form of a retractable leash within a handle. Such a container holds a number of bags folded together or attached to one another by perforations, allowing the bags to be individually removed through a slot within the container and separated from the bags remaining in the container. In another configuration, a handle is provided with a cylindrical holder extending transversely between the graspable portion of the handle and a point at which a leash is attached to the handle. The holder may include a roll of bags, having a center from which individual bags are pulled, and a collapsible water bowl. In yet another configuration, a screw-on container is attached to each side of a handle to which a leash is attached. The containers may be used for water and dog food, for clean-up bags, or for other items.
Animal waste collection and disposal systems include a graspable portion, means for the attachment of a leash, bags for waste storage and disposal, and a collection device, operable with the bags for picking up solid waste to be held within the bags. For example, the collection device may comprise a pair of tongs having flattened portions extending to inward-facing lips, that are inserted between an outer cover of one of the bags and the bag itself, so that, when the tongs are held open, the bag is opened to receive waste picked up using the tongs. Alternately, the collection device may comprise a small box that is placed over the waste, with the box being actuated by a button to move downward with the help of springs and lateral guides and to open for collection of the waste within a plastic bag in the small box.
Many people, including owners of multiple pets and professional dog walkers, walk multiple pets simultaneously on multiple leashes attached to a single leash handle. Since multiple pets tend to fan outward on a generally flat ground surface the individual leashes are expected to fan outward, forming a pattern that is readily accommodated by a horizontally extending elongated member to which the individual leases are attached. The patent literature includes a number of descriptions of multi-pet leashes including a single leash handle, an intermediate leash, and a swivel connecting the intermediate leash to two or more individual leashes. The swivel allows the hardware attached to the individual leashes to assume an orientation in response to the movement of the pets, while the person holding the leash can orient the leash handle for his own comfort.